Hello, Megan!
by meksters
Summary: Megan Morse is the new girl from Marrs, Kansas. When she leaves home to live in Gotham with her uncle, she meets a bunch of teenagers who have almost nothing in common, but they soon become an unlikely group of inseparable friends. Between vexatious bullies, Mafias, homework and prom, can this ragtag group of friends find solace in each other? 'Hello, Megan' TvTropes page AU
1. Welcome to Gotham Academy

**Title:** Hello, Megan!  
**Characters: **Pretty much everyone from the first season plus others.**  
Pairings:** Canon Pairings from season one, and some surprises ;)  
**Rated:** T  
**Genre(s):** A bit of everything but mainly Friendship, Romance, and Humor (hopefully you'll find it funny).  
**Summary:** Megan Morse is the new girl from Marrs, Kansas. When she leaves home to live in Gotham with her uncle, she meets a bunch of teenagers who have almost nothing in common, but they soon become an unlikely group of inseparable friends. Between vexatious bullies, Mafias, homework and prom, can this ragtag group of friends find solace in each other? 'Hello, Megan' TvTropes page AU  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. If I did Wally wouldn't be dead.

* * *

Megan Morse was an ordinary girl.

Except... for the fact that she had eleven brothers and sisters.

It was September 9th and her first day at Gotham Academy. She had been home-schooled most of her life and wasn't sure how well she'd fit in with kids who have known each other for years. For most of the July and August months she had stayed with her uncle, John Jones. He was the soft-spoken archaeology professor at the nearby Gotham University, a gardener, and cared for his niece like his own child.

Megan woke up that morning an hour earlier than planned and felt butterflies. Whether it was from anxiety or joy she didn't know. She put on her uniform, a white button-up blouse, a navy sweater-vest, a red tie, and a navy pleated skirt that came just above her knees. Thinking her uncle wasn't up she went to the kitchen to make breakfast but saw him, spatula in hand, making pancakes (organic, of course. Her uncle refused to have anything that wasn't) and eggs.

"Oh. Megan, good morning!" The tall African-American man smiled cheerfully.

"Good morning uncle John! I didn't think you were awake yet and I was hoping I could make breakfast for once." Megan said sheepishly.

"That is thoughtful of you, Megan. However, you and I both know your cooking skills are a bit lacking." The grown man chuckled, recalling the time she burnt a batch of snickerdoodles, "But how would you like to come help me with the pancakes?" he asked smiling.

The young girl beamed, she always wanted to cook, just like her mother "I'd love to!".

Half an hour later the duo sat eating their slightly-too-golden/brown pancakes and eggs, watching the news and talking about whatever odd things had happened so far. Living in Gotham, where kindergarteners carried mace, was like living in the breeding ground for crime. Most crimes usually happened in the lower west side and at night, but in the mornings they would recap yesterday's events, or talk about how stupid criminals tried to rob stores in broad daylight.

The most talked about crimes were usually done by the numerous Mafias residing in Gotham. Those crimes were the most successful, especially by the three most notorious, "The Shadows", "The Light", and another that happened to be nameless. The success of these three Mafias is probably because until this very day people still didn't know who ran them. All that is known about them is that both the nameless Mafia and "The Shadows" are connected to "The Light", despite being rivals. Other Mafias, like the "Ice" Mafia, named for their use of dry ice in torture methods, are too messy with covering their tracks, thus leading to their arrest.

"There haven't been any crimes by the shadows lately...Do you think they might be planning something, Uncle John?"

"Maybe, but it's best not to dwell on such matters." he paused then added, "Are you nervous about going to school?"

After a slight pause Megan said "I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous, yea." She played some more with the scrambled yellow-white mess on her plate, "But I have a feeling I'll get used to things pretty quickly!" Megan smiled.

"Good. You'll do great, Megan. You are an intelligent girl with a heart of gold, you'll fit right in!" John reassured.

"I hope so." was all Megan mumbled.

"Go get ready. I'll clean up the table."

"Okay. Thanks Uncle John." Megan said giving her uncle a hug and leaving for her room.

She did her hair and makeup and got her backpack to meet her uncle at the door. It was her first day at Gotham Academy, prestigious school for the uber smart or uber rich. It was a good thing her family was wealthy. Not to say Megan wasn't smart, she was, but to get into GA you had to be Einstein. Looking up at the gigantic iron gate and equally gigantic school behind it to say she was overwhelmed was an understatement.

Less than a second after she was marveling at the academy she felt something knock her down.

"WHOA!" Leave it up to the track star of Gotham to be so clumsy.

Wallace "Wally" West: Gotham Academy's #1 Track Star, Science prodigy, Ladies man, and Class Clown.

His dad wanted him to be in the family business. His father was a lawyer, and so was his grandfather and great-grandfather, and Wally's dad expected him to do the same. Wally, however, had always wanted to be a forensic scientist like his uncle Barry. But right now the only thing on his mind was his best friend, Dick Grayson. Wally spotted him across the long brick pathway and ran over to the freshman screaming "DICK, DI-" right until he toppled over the pretty redhead.

"Ohmigod, I'msosorry, Ididn'tevenseeyouthere! Areyouokay?" Wally said at a, what should be, impossible speed.

"Huh?" the redhead was still on the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, um, yea. I think so." She mumbled.

"Good. I'm Wally, by the way." He held out a hand. "And you are?"

"Megan. Megan Morse. I'm new."

"That explains it! I mean it's a big school but you didn't look familiar. You have a liaison?"

"Yes, her name is-" She pulled out the piece of paper from her backpack and read it out loud. "Raven Roth."

With a sound of disgust and an eye-roll he mumbled "Uh...I hate her."

At that moment said girl appeared, hood up, music blaring, and wisps of purple hair sticking out from under the hood.

"You must be Megan." She said monotonously.

"Yeah! How did you know?" Megan asked, ignoring Wally's previous comment.

"She can sense happiness and rushes to corrupt it." Wally begrudged.

"Wally, or should I say Wallace, nice to see you again." She said with a ghost of a smirk then turned to Megan, "You're the only new girl here." Raven said, obviously annoyed by Megan's perkiness.

"Raven, nice to see you too" Wally said with sickeningly sweet tone.

"Look, I don't wanna be here and since you know Wally how about he becomes your liaison? K, bye." without another word Raven turned around and walked away.

"I guess you're my new liaison?" Megan said to Wally.

"I guess I am. I'll show you around the school in a second, let's just go and bother a freshman first." Wally winked.

"Why would we do that? That's mean!" Megan gasped.

"You'll understand why in a second." He promised.


	2. Meeting the Boys

_"I guess I am. I'll show you around the school in a second, let's just go and bother a freshman first." Wally winked._

_"Why would we do that? That's mean!" Megan gasped._

_"You'll understand why in a second." He promised._

* * *

"DICK, DICK" Wally screamed, with Megan in tow, running over to a boy with slicked back black hair and dazzling blue eyes. Said boy turned from a redheaded girl about his height, to his redheaded best friend running towards him with yet another redheaded girl on his heels.

"Dick, how rude of you not to introduce us to your girlfriend." Wally said. He turned to the girl standing next to Dick, "Hey, Babs." He said smiling.

"She's not- ugh whatever" Dick blushed. "Your name is?" He politely asked Megan.

"My name's Megan." She replied sweetly.

"Megan, I'm sorry about whatever Walrus has done to you. I sincerely hope your insurance covers it." He said taking her hand and feigning sympathy, "This is Barbara, by the way" he added.

"Nice to meet you two" Megan smiled hesitantly. She was beginning to wonder if everyone in Gotham Academy was like this. "I'm new here and Wally is showing me around."

"Wally is showing you around? That can't be good." Barbara teased. Megan noticed that these three seemed relatively close. Wally stuck out his tongue in response.

"I am more than capable of showing Megan around." He said.

"Maybe the cafeteria." Dick smirked.

"You're just jealous I have a fast metabolism." Wally retorted.

"More like a black hole for a stomach" Megan turned to see a girl slightly shorter than herself with asian features and waist length blonde hair. In a ponytail.

"Rapunzel, nice to see you again." Wally said sarcastically.

"Likewise" 'Rapunzel' said monotonously before turning to Barbara and saying "Bette wants to talk to you"

"About?" Babs questioned.

"She needs your help." 'Rapunzel' was getting impatient.

"With?"

"Oh my- She has her period and she wants to know if you have any pads because she ran out. I tried being discreet but you just had to play twenty questions, Babs." The blonde girl said smirking when she saw the look of discomfort on the boys faces.

Barbara was full-out laughing at the boys while Megan allowed herself a smile.

"Yeah we have the same cycle, i'll go give her one." Babs said as she calmed down, "Or maybe... a TAM~PON!" She laughed waggling her fingers at the disgusted boys, as she turned to leave.

"Babs that's gross" Dick said. In his defense he was only a 13-year-old boy. Barbara only laughed in response.

"Sooooo, I say we head over to the main office and tell them about our little swap-out here and go along on our merry way." Wally said to Megan, extending his arm.

"Okay, that sounds great" She said as she hooked their arms, "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Dick and... um, i'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"Artemis" The blonde said accepting Megan's other extended hand, "Uh, it's been a pleasure meeting you as well" She said, a little taken aback by Megan's formality.

* * *

It turns out Wally's GPA was just high enough for him to qualify as a liaison. The secretary gave them a pass for all of their classes, so Wally could show her around. Wally was a pretty nice guide, pointing out classes Megan would enjoy, like Ms. Lance's P.E. class (She was also the school Guidance Counselor, and a 'damn good one' as Wally put it), and Mr. Carr's history class. He also pointed out things like the coldest water fountain, the cleanest girls bathroom (To which he simply said "Don't ask" when he saw the look on Megan's face), and the fastest ways to get to her classes.

Wally looked at Megan's class schedule and saw that they had French III, lunch, and P.E. together. He also knew that Dick and Kal were in their lunch and P.E. classes.

"Hey, we have lunch, P.E., and French together. Kal and Dick are in lunch and P.E. with us too."

"Who is Kal?" Megan asked.

"Oh, he's a friend, you'll love him. He's the calm one, Dick's the troll, and I'm the ladies' man." He said with a wink.

"I'm sure" Megan smiled good-naturedly.

"Okay, so now we have lunch. Do you buy or bring?"

"Um, I have money so I guess I'm buying" She said more like a question.

"Great, i'll stay in line with you if you need any help." She smiled at him gratefully. Megan never had to buy lunch before since she was home-schooled and even though she knew it wasn't a big deal she couldn't say she wasn't nervous.

* * *

Wally ended up buying from the deli line, he said he could get more food for less money. Boy that kid eats a lot, Megan thought. She stayed with him and got herself a small turkey sub, and after paying they went over to Dick and Kaldur who sat at one of the smaller tables with six seats. There was another boy with them that Wally didn't recognize. Kaldur waved at Wally and smiled gently at Megan.

"Hello, I am Kaldur'Ahm" He introduced himself, "But you may call me Kaldur."

"I'm Megan!" She smiled back at him. She noticed that despite his dark skin Kaldur had short light blonde hair. She debated whether it would be inappropriate to ask.

"You are wondering about my hair, are you not?" Kaldur asked, noticing her not-so-subtle staring. She blushed at the fact that he noticed her looking and he said "It is okay, my parents adopted me from the Solomon islands, where 10% of the people have blonde hair and dark skin." He gave her an understanding smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare." Megan apologized.

"It truly is alright" he chuckled good-naturedly.

"I think that it's really cool, though!" She smiled.

"Oh! Wally, Megan this is Conner Kent." Dick said gesturing to the taller boy. "He's new too!"

"Hi!" Megan said, trying not to blush. This boy was quite handsome, she thought. Really all four boys were in their own way.

Wally had a smile that probably out-shone a star, lively emerald eyes with long lashes, and a straight nose. Megan herself was pretty tall at about 5'7, and Wally was about her height, he was lean but from what she tell from the blazer he was also slightly muscular. Kaldur had thick, shapely lips and calm grey-green eyes to match his calm and soothing voice. Megan thought that this boy must be a geneticists dream. Kaldur was of tall stature, surpassing Megan by a few inches. His physique was strong but his body shouted that he was a swimmer. Every part of Dick, from his cerulean eyes to the way he carried himself, oozed mischief. In the few moments she talked to him she seemed correct in that notion. He was shorter than Megan by about three inches, and he had combed his hair out of his face. She remembered Wally pointing out a gymnastics trophy that read '1st Place- Richard Grayson' on it while he was showing her around, she thought it made sense due to Dick's lean yet toned build.

This boy though, he was something else. He had short black hair and eyes the color of a robin's egg. He was tall, about Kaldur' height, with muscles. A lot of muscles. And even though his expression was mostly blank, he gave Megan a blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile when she sat down.

"Hi" Mr. Muscles said monotonously.

"So you're new, like Megan?" Wally asked pleasantly.

"Yup"

"Where are you from?" Wally pushed.

"Kansas"

"Really? Me too!" Megan cut in. "Which part?"

"Smallville."

"Oh, I'm from Marrs, Kansas." She smiled.

"That's not too far away from Smallville." He showed the faintest smile.

She smiled back. She was smiling a lot more than she thought she would today. As they were eating and making jokes, Megan looked around the table at the boys; She would have never guessed she'd meet such a nice group by being plowed down by one of them in her first minutes of arriving at school. She supposed she'd have to thank Wally later.

Megan had a good feeling; This is going to be a good year.

* * *

**I'm a bitch, I know. I haven't updated, but I'm going to work hard to update this every Sunday. The thing is I'm still writing this and I've been stuck on this chapter for a while but I will update! If there is anything you guys want to see in this story let me know and I'll see what I can do. Just be aware that I can't guarantee anything!**

**A hint for this AU if you haven't guessed already there are no powers, no magic, it's basically our world but filled with fictional characters. Go to the tropes page and check it out it's amazing!**

Please review! I highly encourage constructive criticism! :)


	3. Bad teachers and Sleazy guys

"Megan Morse?"

"Present!"

While Mrs. McMackin continued checking attendance Megan turned to Linda Park, a sophmore in her homeroom, and asked when cheerleading tryouts began.

"September 16, about four days from now." The korean girl smiled.

"Are you going to tryout?" Megan asked. She liked this girl. Megan only knew her for a day but Linda seemed nice.

"No, I want to be a journalist when I graduate so I'm in the student newspaper. And next year when Brittani Tyler and Miranda Blake graduate I'll take Brittani's spot as news anchor. Plus I was never into the whole 'cheerleader' thing."

Megan nodded. "Wait. News anchor?" Megan hadn't heard of this in her shows.

"Yeah! See our school has about every club imaginable, and students who are involved in the newspaper also take part in the broadcasts the school has right after the pledge on fridays." The raven haired sophomore told her.

"That's so cool!" Megan gushed.

"Linda Park?" The teacher cut in, still taking attendance.

"Here" Linda called out.

"But Megan, if you make it on the team, I can do a story about it. It'll read 'New girl kicks ass as newest cheerleader'!" she said making an arch in the air with her hands, then turned back to Megan "What do yout think?" Linda smiled.

"That would be really cool Linda, but I don't think I'll be _that_ good." She blushed.

"You'll do great!" Linda said as the bell rang. "See you tomorrow!"

Megan walked to her first period class thought the crowded hallways and got shoved around a few times, she was in gotham, but kept a fast pace. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see green eyes and freckles, Wally had caught up with her.

"Hey Megalicious" Wally said with a wink.

Megan couldn't help but blush a bit. Growing up the way she had, she never really had anyone flirt with her, except for the buck-toothed guy who worked at the market down the street from her house. Megan liked Wally, but like a brother. Plus she had her eye on someone else.

She said hello and asked him where he was headed to; honestly she knew, she was just making conversation. He was on his way to English, with a teacher he and Dick frequently complained about. She was funny, they had said, but also gave way too much homework. Megan herself was off to American History, and she wasn't too fond of that class, not that she wasn't good at it, she was probably one of the best students in her class but she'd rather be learning about different civilizations and cultures. They were like whole new worlds for her. Luckily for her, a certain raven-haired boy was in that class.

Wally's class was right around the corner so he slipped through the door and said goodbye to her. She kept walking through the halls when she felt a hand around her waist.

"_Heeeey_, hottie" Megan was greeted by a very tall, lanky boy with pale skin and hair, his eyes a light blue.

"Um... hi?" Megan was creeped out, but didn't want to be rude, so she gently removed his hand from her waist.

He seemed unfazed by this. "Where you headed?", He asked her in a voice that she supposed was meant to be flirty, but she had no intentions of doing so. At least not with him.

"History" Megan forced a smile and a gestured to the room behind her then quickly slid through the door. He followed.

"Me too, babe." He winked. Megan felt a bit sick, to be honest. It wasn't that he wasn't attractive, he was, he was just coming off really sleazy and forward. Megan also got nervous because he definatly was _not_ in this class. Or he was and hadn't come to class in the past few days she'd been here.

"Then why haven't I seen you here before?" She asked, inching away. He smiled, trying to be flirtatious.

"I'm not really the 'class' type."

"So you've been cutting?"

"Not the word I'd use, but sure." He smirked. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? How rude of me, I'm Cameron. You can call me Cam." he winked at the end.

"Megan, but you can call me Megan." She forced another smile, that quickly disappeared

The bell rung and the teacher told them to sit down. The class was seated alphabetically and Megan sat toward the back next to the window with an empty chair to her left. She had never minded the empty chair until now. Cameron followed her to the back and sat right in the empty chair.

"Mr. Mahkent, I see you've found your desk. How wonderful of you to finally join us." The teacher, Mrs. McLaughlin said. Megan thought she was trying to go for a sarcastic/patronizing tone, but it came out more playful and lighthearted. Mrs. McLaughlin was very much a push-over.

"Yeah, it's a real joy" Cameron said feigning sincerity.

Mrs. McLaughlin ignored him and went to the center of the room, saying something that had nothing to do with American History. Megan didn't get bored easily, in fact she was quite patient and understanding, but Mrs. McLaughlin tested even her with how long she could stay awake. Conner was the only one really interacting with her. Giving her short responses and getting every answer right after no one else would try.

"Now who can tell me the names of the homes the Iroquois built? Austin, how about you?" Mrs. McLaughlin asked.

Austin sat up and rubbed his eye before yawning out "Sorry, I don't know about Indians"

"They aren't called Indians, they're called Native Americans" A girl said, clearly annoyed.

"Whatever, we all know who the _real_ Americans are, am I right?" His friends roared a 'yeah' while banging on the desks, one even shouted "'MURICA".

Conner looked like he was about to say something back, clearly agitated, when Mrs. McLaughlin asked again.

"Megan, dear, how about you? Can you tell me the name of the homes the Iroquois built?"

"They're called 'Longhouses'" Megan said easily.

"Very good!" Megan stopped listening to the teacher as she went off talking about corn.

"Pssst"

Megan turned to her left, Cameron was looking right at her.

"So, McLaughlin huh? More like Mc_Laugh_lin." When Megan didn't laugh he explained, "Y'know cuz her name is spelled with the word 'laugh' and she so fun to laugh at, cuz she sucks" He let out a light laugh.

Megan tried to smile but it came out like more of a grimace. He didn't seem to notice.

Megan looked at the clock, there was still twenty-five minutes left of class. She let a huff and started doodling around her notes, her chin placed in the palm of her left hand.

Megan ran to her next class, not believing that she was late. She found the room and ran inside right after the bell rang.

"I'm _so_ sorry! I'm still pretty new to the school and I got lost and," Megan took a breath, "I'm sorry" She slumped her shoulders looking down. She was waiting for Mr. Gold to give her detention, like she's seen on her TV shows.

Mr. Gold walked up to her, a small paint smear on his forehead, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Megan, don't sweat it! I'm cool, and besides, you were only a few seconds late!" He smiled, Why don't you take a seat next to Artemis, Barbara, and Bette?"

"Ok. Thank you, Mr. Gold." Megan smiled back before sitting down next to Barbara.

"Now class, uh," Megan took notice that Mr. Gold talked with his hands a lot, "talk amongst yourselves until I get back; I forgot the basket coils in the other room." He said bashfully, before running out the door.

"Megan, nice to meet you again." Barbara said once Mr. Gold left. "You've met Artemis, and this is Bette."

"Hey, it's great to meet you!" Bette smiled, holding her hand out across the table.

"Hi!" Megan smiled back shaking Bette's hand.

Artemis took off her blazer, revealing her untucked blouse and loose tie. She seemed uncomfortable in her skirt, tugging it down without much success. She turned to see Megan eyeing her outfit apprihensively.

Megan was a bit taken back by Artemis' lack of care for the dress code. It wasn't just Artemis either, Megan had noticed that Wally never tucked in shirt, he always left it loose under his sweater vest with the sleeves rolled up, he didn't even wear his tie. And Cameron's tie had been haphazardly thrown around his neck. "Uh, not to sound rude but, aren't you supposed to tuck that in?"

Artemis laughed, "The guidelines say you are, but honestly, no one really cares as long you've got the clothes on."

Bette motioned her head to the left, "Look at Miranda, could her skirt get _any_ shorter? And the top buttons on her shirt are open, _just_ like half of the girls here. It's like Art said, no one cares." The Blonde shrugged.

"But anyway, Megan, it looks like Alex Johnson has his eye on you." Bette pointed toward a boy about Megan's age with blonde hair and dark blue eyes. The boy, Alex, winked at her before turning back to his friends.

"He's cute but I think Megan is more interested in someone a bit more... muscular." Barbara said mischievously.

"Oh really? And who might that be?" Bette asked, unable to hide her interest, she was quite the gossip.

"Oh, no one." Megan said blushing, she looked up to see all three girls looking at her with an eyebrow cocked. "Really!"

"Come on Megan, we all know you've got a thing for Conner Kent" Artemis said, "Not that we blame you because, well, _Mmm_, that boy." She added suggestively.

"You should totally ask him to homecoming!" Bette said cheerfully. "It'll be great!"

"Are you saying that because you'll be planning it?" Artemis asked eyebrow cocked playfully.

"Maybe." Bette replied. "But really Megan, you should do it!"

"No, no, I mean, I-I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because he's, he's him, and I, i'm" stuttered Megan.

"_Gorgeous?_"

"_Stunning?_"

"_Hot?_"

All three girls laughed at Artemis' choice of words, but she just smiled. "Megan, really just try. What could go wrong?"

A lot of things, Megan thought.

"Look I realize that you've been homeschooled all of your life, but really, high school is nothing like "The secret life of the American Teenager" or whatever crap they show on TV about high school." Artemis assured her.

"Hey, Secret Life is great!" Bette gasped.

"Whatever" Artemis shrugged. She prefered action dramas.

"I don't even know how." Megan said.

"How to ask him out?" Bette asked. "Well there are plenty of ways, like playing hard to get, or OH! you could-"

"Just say 'Hey wanna go out sometime?'" Barbara said smirking at Bette's pouty face.

"Or she could take some tips from Wally and say something like 'Hey, Handsome. Wanna go to an empty room and-'" Bette put her hand over Artemis' mouth and stage whispered, "Don't mind her, she just likes to make fun of others. _Especially_ Wally."

Barbara leaned toward Megan with a hand on the side of her mouth, "We think it's because she has a crush on him." She stage whispered, enjoying Artemis' look of disgust.

"Barb, come on," Artemis glared, "How many times do I have to tell you? There isn't this '_ust_' that you claim there is between us. We just hate each other." Artemis huffed, crossing her arms and legs.

"Ust?" Megan asked amused.

"Unresolved Sexual Tension." Barbara smirked.

"Shut up!" Artemis snapped.

"It's a touchy subject." Barbara said to Megan.

Artemis let out another scoff. Mr. Gold ran in the room right after and started telling them about the first project they were doing, a coil basket, and gave them each a piece of paper and some pencils.

"It needs to be at least three inches in diameter and four inches tall." The blonde man said. he was in his mid-thirties and very cheerful. He came around to Megan's table and looked at the girls' sketches.

"These are great, girls!" Mr. Gold exclaimed approvingly. "I can already tell that you girls are my favorite!" he started to walk away then quickly winked, "Not that I pick favorites."

Megan took french for many reasons.

One, she has wanted to go to Paris every since her Uncle John went when she was five and brought her a miniature Eiffel Tower. Two, she loved the language and how it sounded. Three, it was what her older siblings and parents had taken.

She was a bit nervous going in because she recognized no one she was friends with. As she sat down she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see that the mop of red hair she saw sitting down belonged to Wally.

"You take french?"

"Why so surprised, Megalicious?" Wally smiled.

"You just, seemed like the type to take Spanish." The redhead replied, shrugging her shoulders. She forgot that Wally was in her French class.

"I did, in, like, seventh grade." The green-eyed boy explained, "but halfway through the year I realized that it wasn't for me."

The teacher, Mrs. Allen, walked in and walked to her desk, and Wally whispered, "Good luck."

"Sit down." She ordered and everyone did so. "From now on you are to call me Madame Allen and _**only**_ speak when spoken to and in _**Français**_. _Compris_?"

Everyone nodded at the intimidating women and the bell rang, signalling the start to a very nerve-wrecking forty minutes.

Megan walked into the cafeteria and towards the guys at their usual table. She had brought lunch today, and her Uncle packed her a nice chicken wrap. As she walked towards them Artemis came up to her.

"Hey! Megan, do you mind if I sit with you today? Barbara and Bette are upstairs at extra help." The blonde asked.

"Yeah, it's no problem at all!" Megan smiled.

Artemis got a mischievous glint in her eyes, "And this way I can help you ask out a certain someone." She winked before walked towards the table.

Megan sat down between Kaldur and Artemis and took out her lunch. Kaldur seemed to know Artemis and started talking.

"Artemis, how nice to see you again!" the blonde boy smiled.

"You too, Kal! When was the last time? Nationals?"

"I believe so. I remember that you had done excellently." Kaldur said.

"Nationals?" Conner asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

"Yeah, I'm on the archery team. Kaldur's best friend, Roy, was the captain before he graduated. Kal came to every match." Artemis explained.

"Oh, you're an archer?" Megan asked excitedly, she had always admiried archery.

"Best one since Roy left."

"Maybe the best even when Roy was here, my friend." Kaldur said, a small smile on his face.

"Thanks, Kal" Artemis smiled back.

Conner and Dick were seated across from Megan and Artemis. Dick had started talking with Artemis about Mrs. Murphy, one of the english teacher for 9th and 10th graders, and Megan went back to eating her food.

"So, Muscles, you've been quiet. What's on your mind?" Artemis asked, elbow propped on the table, other hand toying with her waffle fries. Megan wanted to say something about manners, like her mother had taught her, but decided against it.

"Nothing." Conner said monotonously.

"Well in that case, what do say to a movie sometime?" Artemis smirked. Megan nearly choked, her eyes going wide, staring at the table. Conner looked Artemis up and down apprehensively.

Artemis laughed,"Relax, Muscles. I was only joking!"

"That is the fifth time you've been asked out Conner! Dude, how _do_ you do it?" Dick mock interviewed. Conner, taking it seriously, shrugged and said "Beats me."

Wally walked up to the table at that exact moment. "Hey, guys!" he greeted sitting down between Artemis and Dick, "_'Punzel_."

"_Baywatch._"

"Aww, look! They've broken out the nicknames!" Dick fake-cooed, pointing at the two.

"Shut up." They both said. They turned to each other and glared.

"And they talk in unison!" Megan joined Dick in trolling the two. She was a bit upset at the joke Artemis pulled.

"Megan not you too!" Artemis said exasperdly, as Megan and Dick laughed together. Wally made a joke about Dick having a thing for redheads that promptly made the younger boy turn a shade of magenta. Kaldur gave Wally a look that very kindly told him to stop picking on his best friend.

"Conner are you thinking about joining the football team?" Kaldur asked. "Tryouts end this week."

"I don't know, I mean I guess it'd be cool." Conner said.

"You totally should Conner, you'll do great!" Artemis reassured.

"Thanks."

"Wow, Wally that was fast." Megan noted once Wally got back from throwing out his trash. "I know you're the fastest guy on the track team but do you have to fast at everything else too?" She asked good-naturedly.

"I can always slow down if you want, babe." Artemis whacked Wally upside the head.

"HEY! What was that for?!"

"That was gross, _Wall-man_." Artemis told him.

"I don't get it." Megan said. All eyes turned to her. Kaldur looked as if he were pondering telling her, but was decidig against it. Conner was just eyeing her skeptically, thinking she was kidding. Dick starting laughing, and had to put a hand over his mouth, while Wally and Artemis were just staring at her incredulously.

"Wow, uh, w-wow" Artemis stammered, letting out a chuckle.

"Megs, did you ever take health?" Wally tested cautiously.

"Yes, basic human anatomy of the male and female genders; How the body works." Megan nodded.

"Like... say, the reproductive systems?" Dick asked calming down a bit.

"Yes, human reproduction was covered." Dick let out another round of hysterics. _Little troll_, Wally thought.

"Have you ever heard of a sexual innuendo, Megan?" Artemis asked, highly amused. Megan didn't understand what was so funny about human reproduction. The redhead shook her head and Artemis leaned over and explained.

"O-Oh my... **WALLY**!" Megan shouted as loud as she could without directing too much attention to herself.

Wally's ears went pink, and Dick just laughed even harder.


	4. Birds of Prey

**A/N: Okay so this chapter is a short one, only around 900 words long but they will get better, I swear. **

**Just a little warning, I have no experience with cheerleading or the tryouts so I basically pulled this out of my ass. I'm sorry if I mess it all up. Also some things in this chapter will be answered later in the story! **

**I don't own Young Justice. (wishes aggressively that she did).**

* * *

"Listen up!" Miranda Blake, captain of the 'Birds of Prey', yelled through her pink rhinestoned megaphone. "Only the _best_ of the best can be a 'Bird of Prey'! Just because you were on the team last year does not guarantee that you will be on it this year." She gave a pointed look to Jeanie Grey. "NOW LINE UP!"

Megan lined up next to all of the other girls, most looking utterly terrified. She knew cheerleaders were generally regarded as "bitchy", but never thought it true, she always assumed it was a myth. So far, she seemed wrong.

A new girl walked up to the center of the gym from the table they were seated at. "Hi, my name is Brittani Tyler, co-captain of the 'Birds of Prey', and today you are going to perform exactly what you can do. Give it your all and good luck!" She sat back down with a million-watt smile. Maybe Megan wasn't so wrong.

Someone came hurddling through the doors, dripping wet from the rain, and sat down next to the two girls after taking off his sweatshirt, revealing a nice set of abs from under his shirt. From across the gym on the bleachers, Megan could see it was a boy, and heard Miranda say "_'Bout time_, West."

_No. Fuffing. Way_, Megan thought, amber orbs becoming saucers.

From across the gym, sitting down next to the captains of Gotham Academy's cheer team was the one, the only, Wallace Rudolph West.

"Shut up, Blake. Track ran late." Wally retorted.

"If that was a track pun,_ again_, I swear West, that I will hurt you _so bad_ that your grandchildren-"

"-will be doubling over in pain. I know, Blake, you've said that _a thousand_ times." he said rolling his eyes.

"Anyway," Leave it to Brittani Tyler to break up a soon-to-be fight, "You will all be asked to perform a simple routine of your choice then perform a routine of our choice. All selections should showcase your abilities and strengths in a short amount of time. Please wait outside while we call you in one be one for your individual tryouts. Wally here will call you in when it's your turn. Good Luck!"

The captains decided to have the tryouts start in reverse order, and that meant Megan was fifth to go, not twenty-fifth. Wally had come out of the room a few times to lead the hopeful cheerleaders-to-be into their moment of truth. They all left through the doors on the opposite side of the gym, so Megan wasn't able to calculate how nervous she should be. She made a list of things to do and she'll just have to give it her all and hope for the best.

1) Smile as if your life depends on it.

2) Be friendly (which wasn't too hard for her)

3) Be confident (could be difficult, but Megan could act, couldn't she?)

4) Project your voice when saying the cheer

"Megan Morse" Wally's baritone voice called out, smiling at her.

Megan stood up and followed him into the gym. He left her in the middle of the large gymnasium and made his way back to the other girls.

"First, Megan, we are going to ask you some questions." Brittani told her, clip-board lying on the table.

"Do you have any experience with cheer?"

"Yes, I've been going to a camp in Happy Harbor since I was seven."

"The bumblebees?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"I was a bumblebee once," the older girl smiled at her. Her mouth must hurt from smiling so much, Megan thought. "So what cheer are you going to do for us today?"

"The Happy Harbor Hornets cheer." Megan said, trying to look confident in her white t-shirt and blue skort.

"Well then, show us what you're made of!" another pearly smile.

The redhead got into position and started the cheer, smile never faltering.

"FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE, HORNETS, HORNETS, CAN'T BE BEAT!" she cheered.

"bZZZZ-TING, OW!" Megan finished hopefully.

"She's got potential." Miranda whispered to the other two people at the table. "Let's see if she's got the guts to do ours." the blonde smirked, getting up from the table.

"So you did good with your little Hornets cheer, but they don't always have the balls we do,"

"Am I supposed to be offended by that?" Wally asked, earning him a good-natured giggle from Brittani and a sneer from Miranda.

"Anyway" Miranda began breezily, "All you have to do now is our cheer. Pay attention, I'll only do this once." Megan nodded.

"WE'RE SMART, WE'RE FAST, AND SURE AS HELL WE'LL BEAT YOUR ASS! _GOOOO_ FALCONS!" Miranda turned and walked back to the table and smirked, "Your turn."

Megan was at a dilemma. She could easily do that cheer no matter how difficult some of the moves were (plus something about Miranda's smirk made her slightly angry), but she didn't want to disrespect her parents by cursing.

She decided that just once wouldn't be so bad.

So Megan, being the capable girl she is, wiped the smirk off Miranda Blake's face by reciting the cheer perfectly, with as much pep and sunshine that she could muster up and kept it up until she was ushered out by Wally. As she was leaving he smiled at her and whispered, "You _so_ made it, Megs."

And slowly, Megan's life was falling into place.


	5. Homecoming Hullabaloo

**A/N: It's been a while, I know. I really got stuck on this chapter but I feel like things will pick up pace a bit more since it's chapter five and we are getting into homecoming and Halloween (spoilers!). But I hope you guys can bear with me and keep reviewing! It means a lot to me! This chapter is decent but I felt like posting it because there wasn't much else I could do with it. The next chapter will pick up right where this left off. Raquel and Zatanna will come later in the story so please be patient! After the homecoming dance I am planning to make things take a darker turn, or at least High School drama wise and I plan on exploring the main characters back stories and such. If there is anything you want to take place in the story like certain events, please PM me or put it in a review and I'll see what I can do! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Young Justice. All characters belong to the creators and producers. **

* * *

"Ya gettin' in or what?" The barrel-chested bus driver called out.

Artemis' head sprang up, "Yeah, I'm coming." She said paying the fare and sitting down. She had lost track of time, it felt like two seconds ago she sat down at the bus stop. Glancing down at her phone she saw that it was 3:05, she had been sitting there for fifteen minutes.

She rubbed her hands together to combat the October cold, looking around she noticed a few men who looked like they were stoned, a prostitute, a businessman trying to pick up said prostitute (and disgusting, succeeding), and an elderly woman who seemed completely oblivious. Today was a Thursday, meaning she could visit her mother in prison, but she would have to hurry because visiting hours ended at seven and it took about an hour to get there.

She should have let Oliver drive her.

Forty-seven minutes later, Artemis walked into the large prison, passing the bag check and metal detectors. She even had time to say hello to Doris, a cop working there ever since Artemis could remember. She walked towards the room with the glass in the middle and the telephones on the walls and sat down, waiting for her mother.

Tck, Tck.

Putting her hand down, her mother smiled at her. "Hello, yêu."

"Hey, mom."

"How is school going?" Paula Crock (née Nguyen) asked her younger daughter.

"Pretty good. I made a new friend." Artemis couldn't describe how happy the smile on her mother's face made her. She looked genuinely happy about Artemis making friends and the blonde couldn't help but think her mother deserved more. More than prison, more than her father.

"tuyệt vời! How wonderful! What is their name?" Paula asked, pure glee written all over her face.

"Her name is Megan. She's new and we're in a few classes together. She's a year above me." Artemis replied, smiling at her mother's glee.

"Lovely. And what about any school activities?" Her mother asked through the phone. Even though she knew English pretty well, her accent was still there.

"I'm going to do archery again. And Bette wants me to go to the homecoming dance but... I don't know..."

"Artemis, you should!" The paraplegic woman insisted, "It will be a good experience for you!"

"Mom, I'm not into that kinda stuff. I mean, there's gonna be people who I don't like there and-"

"Artemis Lian Crock, just because there will be people you dislike there does not mean you can not go." Her mother said. "Have fun. Artemis, you are young, go and have a good time while you can." she said sincerely. "Responsively, of course."

Artemis looked at her mother through the glass window and gave her a small smile. "Fine, I'll go." She said rolling her eyes, still smiling.

"Good. Now don't wear anything too revealing or sexy Artemis or I wil-"

"_Mom!_"

* * *

"So, you going to the homecoming dance?" Dick asked as he dodged two foam balls.

"_Duh_, what about you? You gonna ask Babs?" Wally asked as he got one player from the opposite team out.

Dick's face went pink, "_NO_, I didn't ask Babs, we're just...friends!" he sputtered, nearly getting hit.

"Yeah, totally. That's why your names are written in your notebook with hearts around them." Wally smirked, dodging another attack.

Dick contemplated if he could hit Wally without facing a penalty, instead he sent the redhead a glare. "They are not. And what about you, huh?" firing the question right back at Wally, "Who's your date?"

"Well I was thinking about asking Megalicious, but then Linda Park asked me and well, she's cute and smart so... I said yes."

"To Linda Park?"

"Yup"

"...huh"

"What's with the 'huh'? Linda's cool."

"Well yeah, she is but I just thought that you'd take someone more... blonde." Dick said trying to sound nonchalant.

"Blonde? Dude, you know where that got me last year!" Wally said, barely dodging another dodge ball. He really hated this game.

"Not every blonde girl is like Jess, Walrus." Dick said, taking out Alex Johnson.

"You're gonna get it, Grayson!" The junior shouted, making his way to the bleachers.

"Yeah, whatever!" Dick shouted back, eyes never leaving the game. He had two balls in his hand and got ready to throw one to an unsuspecting Jeanie Grey, when suddenly, he felt a light pressure on his abdomen. Looking down he saw that he had been hit. His shoulders slumped a bit and he frowned.

"Hey, Grayson! I think it's time to drop your balls!" Artemis shouted from across the room, smirking while high-fiving Barbara. Barbara only winked at him, and he blushed from Artemis' comment and_ totally_ not because he has a crush on his female best friend who just winked at him. Alex laughed hard enough for Dick to hear him, but he really didn't care. Alex might look tough, but really he's a coward. He once got in a fight with a Senior and before anything even happened he nearly shit himself. Dick snorted at the memory.

"Nice shot, Art!" Barbara told the blonde as she made a shot for Paul Ross, which she hit, of course.

"Nothing to it" Artemis smirked, easily dodging an attack from a girl on the lacrosse team.

"You're going to homecoming right? Tell me you didn't chicken out!" Babs asked.

"Yeah, my mom convinced me." Artemis responded, cartwheeling to avoid a hit.

"Good. Then you can come shopping with me and Bette." Babs said before getting hit by Wally, who just smirked and winked.

Five minutes later it was Wally against Artemis. Artemis lasted because she had such great aim that her teammates gladly took the balls for her, so she could win for the team. Wally had lasted so long because he had the fastest reflexes in the school, he could dodge most anything, if he was focused, that is. And right now he was.

Nothing pleased Wally and Artemis more than beating the other at something, _anything._

"Hey, _West_, running away isn't going to help you much!" Artemis shouted across the gym, throwing two balls towards Wally.

"Who said I was running away? It's called dodging, _Crock_. Something you wouldn't know how to do since your teammates protect you all the time!" He yelled back dodging her attacks and hurled some of his own. Wally's aim might not be as good as Artemis', but he made up for it by throwing a lot of the foam stuffed balls quickly.

"At least I can aim," Artemis taunted as she dodged a ball that came dangerously close to her head.

She had no balls left in her reach so she would have to run to the opposite side of her court and grab one. Wally, however, had no shortage and was gleefully throwing them at the archer. Once Artemis got to the balls she threw them at Wally, who was now running low. It didn't matter much for Wally because his specialty was dodging them.

It was getting close to the end of the period, but whenever it was Artemis against Wally everyone stayed to watch them. It seemed they were evenly matched and it stayed that way a little while longer until Wally slipped on one of the many foam balls surrounding him. Artemis' face quickly contorted to a sardonic one as she grabbed a ball and aimed it at Wally, lying defenseless on the ground.

"Any last words, _Wall-man_?" The blonde taunted, foam ball raised in her hand.

At that moment the warning bell rang.

"Saved by the bell?" The ginger boy answered cheekily.

Artemis sneered and threw the ball at him anyway. _Hard_. When the teacher blew the whistle at her she just shrugged and said she was so focused she didn't realize the bell rang. The P.E. teachers at Gotham Academy were like most that you'd see on a TV sitcom. They took joy in watching the less athletic and favored the kids that did better at sports. So naturally, Artemis was a favorite, something she didn't really like, to be honest.

Artemis had a pretty big P.E. class so most of her friends were they with her. Megan was there, and Barbara, Dick, Kaldur, Conner and Wally were too. Even though she found Wally annoying, she did consider the two on better terms since the previous year. Plus he wasn't so bad on the eyes, though that didn't stop him from being completely infuriating.

After getting dressed and going to her locker to get the rest of her books she went back to the gym to wait for Bette. Bette was taking Babs and Artemis shopping for homecoming dresses. As she passed the thespians, who were always 'smoking' candy cigarettes in the east lobby, she noticed Barbara texting someone.

"Oh, that wouldn't happen to be a certain 'Boy wonder' now would it?" The blonde teased.

"No, it's my dad." the freshman said. "He wants to know when we'll be back from the mall."

"Overprotective as always?" Artemis asked, already knowing the answer. Mr. Gordon was a great man, and a great commissioner as well, but he had a tendency to be a bit overprotective of his only child.

"Yup. I swear I'm not going to get invited to an parties whatsoever!" Barbara exclaimed still looking irritated at the phone.

"I'll just have to sneak you in." Artemis said putting an arm around her smaller friends shoulders.

"In fact, remember my friend Raquel, from Gotham North?" Barbara nodded while still typing, "She's throwing a costume party the day before Halloween. You wanna come?" Artemis continued before Barbara could say anything, "I mean, of course it's for the older kids but, I think that maybe if you show _just_ enough cleavage they'll let you in." Artemis teased.

"Hurr hurr, so funny." the redhead rolled her eyes. "But, yeah, actually it sounds like fun."

"Oh, it will be! Raquel throws the best parties!" Artemis gushed. "Bette's going too. I think I might even invite Megan, she needs a taste of teenage parties after being home-schooled so long."

"Is Raquel going to be okay with you inviting so many people?" Barbara asked, finally looking up from her phone.

"Oh yeah! She always tells us to invite hordes of people!" Artemis said.

They walked to the gym and saw the sign saying "Practice cancelled for today due to a schedule change with the Tennis team". Artemis looked through the window and saw the tennis team serving back and forth.

"Where do you think she is?" Barbara asked.

"Don't know." Artemis shrugged.

* * *

'Meet me at the front of the school' Bette typed into her phone. She clicked the little send button and sent it to Barbara.

Bette Kane was sitting on one of the many benches in front of Gotham Academy, waiting for her father and friends to show when she saw a familiar redhead walking past her.

"MEGAN!"

The redhead turned around, shocked at the outburst.

"Oh, Hi, Bette!" Megan smiled, walking towards the blonde. She was on her way to the university when Bette had stopped her.

"Where are you going?" the sophomore asked.

"I was headed to the university. That's where I go each day and wait for my uncle to finish up his papers." Megan explained.

"Well me, Artemis, and Babs were headed to the mall to shop for homecoming dresses. You wanna come with?" Bette asked cheerily.

"I would love to! Could we just stop by the university so I could get some money from my uncle?"

"Of course! Now we just have to wait for them." Bette said sitting back down on the bench with Megan.

Barbara and Artemis showed up about five minutes later, right in the middle of Bette explaining to Megan why the 'no white after labor day' rule was stupid, to which Megan enthusiastically agreed because back in Marrs no one really talked to her... about this kind of thing, of course!

The girls piled into Mr. Kane's old but impeccable 1960 Cadillac and Megan wondered just how rich some of these people were.

"We have to drop by Gotham University for a second. Megan has to visit her uncle." Bette told her father.

"No problem, let me just take the back roads, it takes less time." Her father said.

Once they pulled up to the school Megan hopped out and ran inside to a) get out of the rain that almost came out of nowhere, and b) to ask her Uncle John for some cash. 123, 124, 125... Megan read the room numbers until she got to 131 and saw her uncle watering his plants.

"Hey, Uncle John?" Megan said knocking on the already open door. "Could I borrow some money? A few friends are taking me shopping for homecoming dresses!"

"That is wonderful Megan! Of course, here." John said smiling at her and giving her a fifty. "When will you be home?"

"I dunno! How 'bout I text you when we get there?" Megan said, "I'll be back before dinner!"

"Good. I will see you later tonight. If you need me to pick you up call me, okay?"

"Okay Uncle John!" Megan said walking out the door and waving. When she got back outside she ran to the car to avoid getting too wet.

"Dad why did you have to bring the Cadillac?" Bette whined, apparently she wasn't as impressed with the car as Megan had been.

"Because it's awesome!" Artemis said, clearly on Megan's side.

"He could've just taken the BMW." Bette grumbled.

"Honey, your brother borrowed the BMW for tonight." Her father told her, eyes never leaving the road.

"Whatever, he has his own car." Bette said. The rest of the half hour drive was spent talking about how brutal Miranda was at yesterday's practice. Bette and Megan talked while the other two listened saying things like, "What a little-" and "When can I punch her in the face?".

"I'll be back to pick you girls up at say... seven" Mr. Kane told them before driving off.

"So where do we go first?" Babs asked as Megan texted her uncle what he needed to know.

"Well there's Forever 21, Macy's, Pink Ice, H&M, Expre-" Bette was cut off by Artemis putting her hand over Bette's mouth and saying "Let's just walk around and go in whatever store looks nice."

"Someone doesn't like shopping" Barbara mock whispered to Megan.

"Oh, shut up. You dragged me here." Artemis grumbled walking into Forever 21.

"There was no dragging of any sort involved Artemis!" Barbara teased looking at a rack of dresses.

"Yeah! You came willingly!" Bette sing-songed grabbing at least five dresses from a nearby rack.

Megan looked around noting the type of dresses the girls went for. Artemis liked black. That much was obvious, but she also liked her figure apparently and picked mostly bodycon dresses. Artemis also liked the color green, but especially dark forest greens. Bette was completely different. She picked all kinds of dresses with different prints, colors, and lengths. Megan told her that warm colors suited her more after she wore a blue dress that seemed to wash her out.

Bette picked only warm colors after that.

Barbara liked yellow. Yellow was not a color that Megan thought suited many people. Certain shades of yellow were okay, but most were not. Barbara, miraculously, changed Megan's mind. Megan is convinced that on any other person, that amount and shade of yellow would look atrocious.

"Megan you should try this on!" Bette said, holding up a light pink skater dress with the waist up covered in darker pink sequins.

"It's beautiful!" Megan gushed, taking the dress and running to try it on.

Looking into the mirror Megan didn't see herself. She saw the girl she was longing to be ever since she saw her on the one of her uncle's old sitcoms. She saw the Megan of her dreams and she was amazed that this dress could do that. This was only the second dress she tried on but Megan knew that she had found the one.

"Megan, are you okay in there?" Artemis called out knocking on the fitting room door.

"Yeah I'm fine." She said, wiping a tear. When had she started crying?

"Okay then, are you going to let us see it?" Artemis asked. Megan unlocked the door and stepped out, letting her friends see the dress.

"MEGAN! OH MY GOD! YOU LOOK GREAT!" Bette whooped. Before Megan was being crushed in a bear hug, she saw Bette was wearing one of the orange bandage dresses she picked. If anyone could wear orange, it was Bette Kane.

Megan looked at Artemis and saw the blonde give her a thumbs up. She smiled at Artemis and Bette took a step back and said, "If you don't get that dress you'll be committing a crime!"

"Who's committing a crime? Do I have to call my dad?" Barbara's head popped out from behind the changing room next to Artemis'. "Megan! You look amazing!"

"Thank you!" Megan blushed, freckles becoming more pronounced.

"So did you guys find anything you like?" Babs asked putting her dresses on the rack.

"Well Megan got her's, but I think I'm going to keep looking. You?" Artemis said turning to Bette after putting the dresses she tried on the rack as well.

"I..." She looked down at the orange dress, "think I'm going to look some more too." Bette said after thinking a moment.

After Megan paid for the dress the girls went to some of the other stores and Megan looked at accessories as the others tried on dress after dress (Bette). Artemis had found her dress next. They were in a terribly lit little boutique that seemed as though it sold clothing you could wear only if you belonged to a punk rock band when Artemis bought it. It was a tight-fitting black mini dress without straps. It had some of the most intricate patterns that Megan had ever seen embroidered into it using studs. It fit like it was made for Artemis. She seemed so confident wearing that dress. Well, really, Artemis looks confident in anything, Megan thought. The blonde looked like she could take over the world with a single sway of her hips. She was probably the type of girl Con-

Megan was jostled out of her thoughts when she felt a pinch-like sensation on her cheek. Looking down at the floor she saw a hair tie on the ground. Barbara walked over to pick it up and Megan cupped her cheek muttering a 'what was that for?!'. Barbara simply gave a light laugh and gestured towards Bette at the pink cash register of the current store they were in. Babs was holding a shopping bag of her own and Megan didn't remember zoning out that long.

The girls all sat down at one of the tables at the food court, bags dropped haphazardly within their reach on the floor around them. It was nearly 6:00 and they had all managed to pick a dress, shoes, and accessories. That was a record, Bette thought. Everyone was done shopping and tired from all the walking.

"Should I just call my dad now?" Bette asked, head lolling back, eyes closed.

The other three looked around and shrugged, prompting Barbara to say yes.

"Are you guys hungry?" Bette questioned fetching her phone from her bag.

"A little. Why?" Artemis asked slumping in the thin metal chair, loosening her Gotham Academy tie even more.

"I thought that instead of paying for greasy, unhealthy, god-knows-where-it-came-from food we could be eating at my house. You in?" She said brandishing the phone in her hands at them.

"Why not?" Babs shrugged. Artemis just let out a grunt of approval and then all three girls looked expectantly at Megan.

"I'm sure my uncle wouldn't mind." She told them smiling.

"Great!" Bette eyes became bright blue saucers "OH-OH, we should have a sleepover! We totally should!" Bette squealed with a sudden burst of excitement.

"I don't kn-" Artemis was cut off by the pleading puppy-dog face Bette pulled. If anyone could pull off a convincing puppy-dog face, it was Bette Kane. "Fine. Sure. Whatever. Meg, Babs you in?" Artemis huffed.

"Do I have a choice?" Babs laughed calling her father.

"No! That goes for you too Meg! I'll tell my dad and he'll drive by your houses and you'll get what you need yadda yadda whatevs! EEEEHHHH!" Bette was clearly happy, typing quickly into her phone.

They played I spy until they got bored and started listening to Bette's gossip until her father came to pick them up. Megan had texted her Uncle John and he responded with a 'You may go but please stay responsible and don't get in any trouble :) Love you'. Mr. Kane picked them up again and played some old eighties music that reminded Megan of home.

Megan didn't quite know what home was anymore. She missed the great plains of Kansas, but the constant hustle and bustle of the crime riddled Connecticut city was slowly becoming a part of her. She used to wonder why her Uncle would ever live in a city with such a bad reputation like Gotham. Now she was understanding, though. The city was magnificent with its historic landmarks, award-winning shops and restaurants, top rated museums, and beautiful parks. The crime that had overtaken it didn't stop the citizens from enjoying the city, however and Megan supposed that's what she liked most. Their attitude. While, yes, most were rude, they stuck up for each other and cared for their city. And Megan admired that, how they stood united and unyielding. That was what had helped Commissioner Gordon put wanted criminals like Poison Ivy and the Joker in jail, or Arkham. The people had helped as much as they could and still do to this day.

Gotham would be a great city, if not for all the criminal activity. That's the thing she, and anyone else who moved to Gotham, would miss about their old towns. The safety. Megan didn't exactly feel safe in Marrs, but Marrs is nothing compared to Gotham. She missed the prairies and the plains, but it wasn't something she could see herself going back to. She missed it because she was used to it.

"This is my first sleepover." Megan said, voice barely above a whisper as she looked out the rain covered window.

"Really?" Artemis looked surprised, "You seem like the type to have people over for bingo every friday night." Artemis chuckled then quickly added "That's a good thing!" when Megan seemed upset by the statement.

"Big family. Meaning: bingo nights are enough with just the family in the house." Megan explained smiling again. It made Artemis a bit worried when Megan wasn't smiling or seeming content at the least. Megan was the textbook definition of a cheery person.

"Megan I can assure you that your first sleepover will be a blast!" Barbara declared, index finger-pointing up.

"I'll even get you girls pizza!" Mr. Kane said as he smiled.

"From Gustavo's?!" Megan couldn't help but be reminded of a meerkat at the way Bette's head popped up suddenly.

Mr. Kane laughed saying "Yes, since you have a new friend over... I'll count it as a special occasion."

"YEEEEEES!" Bette hollered, arms extending to their full length. She must really like her pizza, Megan thought.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Please leave a review and mention anything you'd like to see!**


	6. Megan's First Sleepover

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

* * *

**Early October 2010**

Megan has had pizza before. So when Selma (The Kane family's loyal maid/ex-nanny) brought up the slices for the girls, Megan didn't know why they looked like they hadn't eaten in ages. The redhead soon understood that this was not just any pizza. This was Gustavo's.

And Gustavo made some damn good pizza.

The sauce was fresh, the cheese was perfectly melted, and Megan felt like she was in heaven. Both boxes of pizza ended up being scarfed down in half an hour with everyone getting a second helping. Megan had changed into her pajamas, a pink tank top and a pair of floral fleece shorts, and sat in Bette's room trying to braid Artemis' long hair.

"Quit moving!" Megan scolded. She was making a few micro braids all throughout her hair before French-braiding three sections then braiding those into a bigger braid. In the end it was going to be a big braid.

"I would if Bette moved her chair in!" Artemis said, more at Bette. Bette made a face then scooted her desk chair in.

She was on Facespace, a social media site that everyone was obsessed with, looking through Miranda Blake's previous profile pictures.

"Does this girl own any clothes?!" Bette shouted at the screen. "I mean, look," she pivoted the screen "These are all of her in a bikini. And while, yes, she looks great, there is such a thing called modesty."

"Shut up and let me watch 'Celebrity Hockey'!" Artemis told her. Bette shut her laptop and hopped up on the bed with Babs and Megan.

"Who's on this time?" Barbara asked looking away from her tablet.

"The only ones I recognize are Britta Spears, Brandon Wiesman, Greg Vietti, and Whoopi Goldstein." Artemis replied.

"Yeah but Whoopi's team is winning!" Megan added finishing up the braid.

"Whoa Meg, this is so pretty!" Bette said toying with Artemis' braid.

"Thank you! My older sister April taught me!" the redhead smiled.

"OUCH, that's gotta hurt!" Artemis winced as Greg Vietti was slammed into the plastic wall of the ice rink.

"And _that _is going to leave a mark!" Barbara pointed out after Britta got hit in the face by the puck.

"This is some real quality television, guys." Bette said approvingly. All of the girls broke out into laughter when the commentators did a double-take of Greg hitting the wall and Britta getting decked by the puck and paused on their respective faces.

It was 10:30 on a Friday night and none of the girls really felt like sleeping so they stayed up watching reruns of 'Celebrity Hockey' and 'The Flaming C' while munching on popcorn and candy that Bette smuggled from her brother's secret stash. At around midnight Bette started talking about homecoming and the decorations since she was on the homecoming committee.

"And there are going to be these navy banners everywhere, and a disco ball, and confetti, an-, are you guys even listening?" Bette asked pouting.

Barbara faked a yawn "What was that, Bette?" she asked feigning innocence.

"Very funny, Hurting my ego."

"Yes, it's hilarious."

Bette stuck out her tongue at Barbara and turned to Artemis wiggling her eyebrows "So who's your date for homecoming?"

"Myself" Artemis deadpanned; they'd been over this before.

"Well I know who you could ask..." Bette trailed off hoping Artemis would just give in and let her list all of the available hot guys. Artemis deciding it was too late to argue, let her.

"Who?" She asked voice dripping with obviously fake fascination.

"_Well, _there's Jack Hartling, Malcolm Bentley, Jedidah Chase, Will Anderson, Noah Smith, Kendall Richar-"

"_Wallace West!_" Babs coughed. Megan giggled at her friends trolling and even more at Artemis' pissed off face.

"I _do not like him._" She growled eyes practically aflame.

"But you acknowledge that fine hunk'o'ass he's sporting?" Bette smirked when Artemis groaned.

"I DON'T LIKE HIM!" She insisted as loudly as she could without disturbing Bette's parents.

"Whatever. He's going with Linda Park anyway." Bette said off-handedly then started her list again, "John Morris, John Morris_on_,"

"Wait Wally going with Linda?" Barbara interrupted, curious.

"Yeah, she worked up some nerve and asked him a few days ago." She said "He seemed happy she asked."

Artemis scoffed and Babs smirked knowingly at her. Artemis caught her gaze and said "I just feel bad for her. He's probably going to ditch her for the girl with the sluttiest dress once they get there."

Babs looked at her disapprovingly and Megan wondered why she looked so hurt. "Art you know Wally's not like that. He may be one of the biggest- Hell, _the biggest_- flirt out there, but Wally's a good guy. He'd never do that." Megan silently agreed. Wally did seem too flirtatious at times, but he didn't seem like Keegan from 'Hello, Megan' episodes 11 to 15. Keegan was very mean and very much a jerk. Wally was not.

"Whatever. Baywatch and I still don't like each other." Artemis huffed, but she looked slightly ashamed of what she had said.

"Why do you call him 'Baywatch'?" Megan asked head tilted slightly to the left.

"When we first met he was wearing his old 'Lifeguard' t-shirt. The name annoyed him, so it stuck." Artemis smirked reminiscing.

* * *

Staying with his father wasn't as uncomfortable as Conner thought it'd be.

It was worse.

His father was Clark Kent, journalist for 'The Daily Planet', a man who seemed so nice, caring, and kind. Boy was Conner wrong. It wasn't that Clark wasn't all those things; it was just that the man didn't take the fact that he had a long lost son too well.

Conner's mother, Lana Lang, was only nineteen years old when she gave birth to Conner Kent. Lana was Clark's first girlfriend and high school sweetheart. After they both graduated they went separate ways, and Lana never got the chance to tell Clark that she was pregnant. She raised Conner on her own and loved her son very much, and Conner loved her too. When he learned that he would be living with his real father instead of a relative of his mother's, Conner couldn't decide if that was a good thing or bad.

Now Conner knew that it was bad. Very bad.

And it didn't really help that he couldn't remember anything after the crash.

* * *

Gotham was nothing like Central.

Gotham had gangs and mafias, and Wally was pretty sure he witnessed a drug deal five minutes ago while jogging around the neighborhood. But Gotham's nitty and gritty and tough, just like its citizens. Central is clean and pristine, sure crimes happen there too but, Gotham took it to the extreme.

It had nice parks, though.

Jogging past all of the nice trees and benches and fountains, Wally had to admit that it was almost as great as Central Park. That was better though. Pausing the music on his iPod, 'Run Right Back', he jogs over to one of the drink stands and buys a Gatorade. He drinks half of it in one gulp and continues his jog.

When he passes a group of people who look like tourists, he notices a familiar looking face.

"Hey! Hey, Conner! That you?" The redhead waves.

Conner looks up from his hands and gives Wally a microscopic nod. He's sitting on one of those old park benches under this beautiful big willow tree and he looks like such a lost puppy that Wally takes pity on him.

"So whatcha doin' here?" The redhead asks, jogging in place. What? He has a record to uphold.

"Thinking."

"About…?"

"Stuff."

The older teen looks glum, like something is eating away at him. Wally decides that he's not going to get anywhere by prodding, so he does the nice thing, the hospitable thing.

* * *

The West's were a nice family. Maybe a little loud, but nice.

When Conner got in yet another fight with his father and stormed out of the house, Wally found him wandering in Gotham Park during one of his daily runs and invited him over for dinner. Wally could be annoying at times but, Conner found that he didn't really mind and that he actually liked Wally. The West's had a nice little house in the suburban area near the school that reminded Conner of his old home. He clenched his fist under the table.

"Conner, would you like seconds?" Mrs. West asked, gesturing to his nearly finished plate.

"Uh, no thanks." Conner replied, attempting a small smile, though it turned out like more of a grimace.

"Did you not like the food?" The ginger woman asked. She seemed a bit young to be Wally's mom.

"No, I loved it! I'm just full." Conner said. He was never the best at social interaction.

"Conner doesn't talk much, so our family is probably just too much for him!" Wally joked grabbing another piece of garlic bread. Conner wondered where he put all of that food.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to overwhelm you. We are a bit loud by nature!" Mr. West said smiling. The family had already coasted through ten conversation topics, and while Wally seemed reluctant to participate, Conner found himself envying Wally.

"Its fine, Mr. West." Conner said. The man looked confused for a second, then Wally's younger brother spoke up, "Our last name is Allen, Wally's the only West. Well there's my mom, but she's a West-Allen 'cuz she's Wally's dad's sister." He rambled, waving a drumstick in the air, and then devouring it again.

"Oh, sorry" Conner apologized.

"It's fine, dude. Hey, if you're done we could head up to my room." Wally suggested. There was something off about his smile, making it looked slightly forced. The atmosphere took a sudden change and the happiness and conversation drowned out to nothing more than Bart's chewing.

"Okay, thank you for dinner, Mrs... Allen?"

"No problem! We've got plenty of food around here!" The young woman smiled.

They walked up the stairs- the walls were covered in family photos; some of them even containing what must have been a younger Wally and his parents- to the track stars room in silence. Wally's room was cluttered and packed with stuff. There were posters on the walls and souvenirs on the shelves. Conner sat down on the forest green comforter and fiddled with his fingers. Wally sat down in his computer chair and looked at Conner.

"You're probably wondering why I live with my aunt and uncle..."

* * *

At around three in the morning Megan woke up to a familiar tune. She looked up at the still open television in Bette's room to see the "Hello, Megan!" opening theme playing on the bright screen. Picking up the remote she pressed the information button, which showed that this was episode 11, the first episode with Keegan, and the second of the winter formal arc. Getting in an upright position she put her pillow against the footboard of Bette's bed, leaning on it. Keegan was quite literally one of the most attractive men Megan had seen, but he was also one of the biggest jerkfaces ever. At first he seemed great, nice even, but then the audience learns that not only does he already have a girlfriend but, is still going for Megan's best friend, Jennifer, played by Rita Farr.

"What is that?" Artemis asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Just some stupid old sitcom, here I'll turn it off!" Megan said clicking the red button on the remote.

Artemis said something incoherent before falling back to sleep and Megan followed. She laid back down, curling up in her sleeping bag next to the blonde.

* * *

"I've been living with them since I was seven," Wally started "My parents weren't exactly… 'fit' to take care of me, at least that's what the court said." he said, scratching his neck.

"..." He didn't say anything but he figured Wally understood since he started talking again.

"My parents were alcoholics, especially my dad." he exhaled, "It was fine for years. That was also when Uncle Barry worked in Central not Gotham. I would spend weekends with them, and when I was seven, something snapped in my dad and…" Wally looked almost sheepish, "and… well…"

"You don't have to tell me." Conner said. Wally didn't ask him since the park, and he wouldn't want him talking about uncomfortable topics. Conner did enough of that with Dinah.

"No...no, I-I want to, get it out y'know?" The redhead said, "Well my dad, he… he hit me. At first it was nothing… really!" He assured. "As the weeks went on though, it got worse. And I kept cancelling on my Aunt and Uncle and I never do that, so one night when my parents were going out they were so out of it they called my aunt and uncle to watch me. When they saw the bruises under my shirt they...uh... took me to their house and called the police." Wally said taking in a deep breath after rambling. He wouldn't look at Conner.

"My mom died."

Wally looked him right in the eye. "What?"

"In June, my mom and I got in a car crash. We took off our seat belts because we were parked, but a drunk driver swerved to avoid a squirrel or something and hit us instead. We both went through the windshield; I was in a coma for three weeks and suffered memory loss. She wasn't so lucky."

"Wow. Uh, you didn't have to tell me that." The redhead told him.

"I know." Conner smiled and said, "I wanted to."

Wally smiled back.

* * *

**A/N: Please don't kill me! I know I haven't updated in awhile and I so sorry! I really got stuck writing the part with Wally's parents, but I tried. Like I said last chapter, things are going to get darker, this chapter is really just giving some backstory for Wally and Conner but yeah... After this I'm going to base all or most chapters on a specific episode(s), not in any particular order but hint hint Kent Nelson is in the next chapter hint hint. PM me with any questions! **


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